Game program, game device, game control method and game system

ABSTRACT

First consecutive action determination means determines whether or not a pitcher character consecutively or repeatedly performs a predetermined action at a predetermined frequency. Consecutive action execution flag-on means turns on a consecutive action execution flag indicating execution of consecutive actions to an on-state. Warning display means displays a warning on a first display unit of a first terminal device used by a first game player responsible for a malicious play. Second predetermined action determination means determines whether or not the pitcher character consecutively or repeatedly performs a predetermined action in accordance with the operation of a first operation unit after the warning display means displays the warning. First disciplinary action execution means executes a first disciplinary action for the first game player when the pitcher character consecutively or repeatedly performs the predetermined action after the warning display means displays the warning.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese PatentApplication No. 2008-091317 filed on Mar. 31, 2008. The entiredisclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-091317 is herebyincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a game program, particularlyto a game program for causing a computer to realize a network game, agame device executed by the game program, a game control method, and agame system.

2. Related Art

Recently a network game has been widely played with the widespread ofthe internet and speed-up of the data transmission in the internetconnection. The network game is generally executed by a server deviceand a plurality of terminal devices used by a plurality of game players.The server device and the terminal devices are connected through theinternet. A communication match-up game is an example of the networkgame of this type. In the communication match-up game, a plurality ofgame players is capable of playing a variety of games on aperson-to-person basis through the server device. For example, thevarieties of games include a baseball video game, a soccer video game,and a fighting video game. Japanese Patent No. 3412693 and JikkyoPowerful Pro-Yakyu 13 Official Guide Complete edition (Japan, KonamiDigital Entertainment Co., Ltd, Aug. 31, 2006) disclose examples of thecommunication match-up game.

In the communication match-up network game, a first terminal device anda second terminal device are respectively connected to a server devicethrough the internet. In this case, the first terminal device is used bya first game player while the second terminal device is used by a secondgame player. The server device is configured to perform a variety ofauthentication (e.g., authentication of members of online services) andmatch-up of a predetermined game player and his/her opponent. Oncematch-up of the first terminal device and the second terminal device aredetermined, the communication match-up game is performed by the directdata transmission between the first terminal device and the secondterminal device.

For example, the first and second terminal devices are personalcomputers and/or home video game machines. The first and second gameplayers have the first and second terminal devices at home respectivelyfor playing the network game. Each of the first and second terminaldevices includes a display section, an operation section, and acommunication section. The display section is capable of displayingcharacters of the video game. The operation section is used foroperating the characters displayed on the display section. Thecommunication section is connected to the internet for sending/receivinggame data to/from the external devices. Also, a game program isinstalled in the first and second terminal devices. For example, thegame program is configured to execute game control on the basis of anoperation of the operation section, display control for displaying gamecharacters on the display section, and communication control forsending/receiving the game data to/from the external devices. In thiscase, a first team is selected by the first game player while a secondteam is selected by the second game player. The first and second teamsare allowed to play a communication match-up game thorough the internetcommunication of the game data between the communication sections of thefirst and second terminal devices.

The following baseball video game will be considered as an example ofthe conventional communication match-up network game. In the baseballvideo game, a first game player operates a first terminal device andselects a first baseball team while a second game player operates asecond terminal device and selects a second baseball team. Thus, thefirst team plays against the second baseball team in the matched-upgame. Also, the first game player operates a pitcher character, and thepitcher character is accordingly configured to release a ball (a ballobject). On the other hand, the second game player operates a battercharacter. And the batter character is configured to hit the ball objectreleased by the pitcher character. While playing the above-mentionedcommunication match-up game, a first game player may venomously operatethe pitcher character. For example, the first game player mayconsecutively or repeatedly perform pitching operations of “base on ball(BB)” or “hit-batsman/hit by pitch (HBP)” on purpose. Additionally, thefirst game player may semi-permanently and consecutively make pickoffthrows while a runner is on base. In the conventional network game, whena game player plays the baseball video game with the malicious firstgame player, the malicious plays (e.g., consecutive BB and HBPoperation, and consecutive pickoff throw operation) are repeatedlyperformed. Therefore, the opponent of the first game player (i.e., therational second game player) does not have a choice but selects acommand for giving in to the first game player. In other words, thiscondition is advantageous for the malicious first game player andunreasonable for the rational second game player. In this condition, thebaseball video game remarkably lacks of amusement for the rationalsecond game player. Thus, it has been quite difficult to realize amatch-up game with high amusement in this condition.

Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to solve theabove-mentioned problems occurring in the conventional practice, and torealize a match-up game with high amusement in a network game program.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first aspect of the present invention relates to a game program. Thegame program is configured to cause a first control unit of a firstterminal device to realize a match-up game in a computer provided in thefirst terminal device. The first terminal device is capable of executingthe match-up game with a second terminal device through a networkcommunication. The first terminal device is used by a first game playerwhile the second terminal device is used by a second game player. Thematch-up game is configured to cause the first control unit to make afirst game character displayed on both a first display unit of the firstterminal device and a second display unit of the second terminal deviceto perform an action in accordance with an operation of a firstoperation unit of the first terminal device. The match-up game is alsoconfigured to cause the first control unit to make a second gamecharacter displayed on both the first display unit and the seconddisplay unit to perform an action in accordance with an operation of asecond operation unit of the second terminal device. The game program isto cause the computer to realize functions. The functions include:

(1) A first consecutive action determination function for causing thefirst control unit to determine whether or not the first game characterperforms predetermined actions at a predetermined frequency inaccordance with an operation of the first operation unit,

(2) A consecutive action execution flag-on function for turning on aconsecutive action execution flag indicating execution of theconsecutive actions when the first control unit in the first consecutiveaction determination function determines that the first game characterperforms the predetermined actions at the predetermined frequency,

(3) A warning display function for causing the first display unit todisplay a warning when the consecutive action execution flag is turnedon in the consecutive action execution flag-on function,

(4) A second predetermined action determination function for causing thefirst control unit to determine whether or not the first game characterperforms the predetermined action in accordance with an operation of thefirst operation unit after the display unit in the warning displayfunction displays the warning, and

(5) A first disciplinary execution functions for executing a firstdisciplinary action for the first game player when the first controlunit in the second predetermined action determination functiondetermines that the first game character performs the predeterminedaction.

For example, a baseball video game will be considered as a game realizedby the game program. In this case, the first game player of the firstterminal device plays a baseball match with the second game player ofthe second terminal device through the network communication. In thebaseball match, a first baseball team is selected by the first gameplayer while a second baseball team is selected by the second gameplayer. Additionally, a pitcher character is operated by the first gameplayer while a batter character is operated by the second game player.The pitcher character releases the ball object while the battercharacter hits the released ball object. Also, the first game player isa malicious player, and therefore plays in a malicious way in thebaseball game. On the other hand, the second game player is a rationalplayer, and therefore plays a normal baseball play in the baseball game.

First, in the first consecutive action determination function, the firstcontrol unit determines whether or not the first game character performsthe predetermined actions at a predetermined frequency in accordancewith the operation of the first operation unit. In this case, whether ornot the first game character performs the predetermined actions at thepredetermined frequency is a determination condition for determiningwhether or not the first game character performs the malicious plays byintentional operations of the first game player. For example, thedetermination condition relates to whether or not the pitcher character(i.e., the first game character) performs base-on-balls or hit-batsman(hit-by-pitch) actions (hereinafter referred to as “BB/BHP actions”) tentimes, or whether or not the pitcher character performs pickoff actionstwenty times. In the first consecutive action determination function, itis determined whether or not the pitcher character performs the BB/HBPactions ten times.

Next, when the first control unit determines that the first gamecharacter performs the predetermined actions at the predeterminedfrequency in the consecutive action determination function, aconsecutive action execution flag indicating execution of consecutiveactions is turned on in the consecutive action execution flag-onfunction. In this case, the consecutive action execution flag is amalicious play execution flag indicating execution of the maliciousplays (i.e., execution of consecutive actions). For example, when theconsecutive actions are executed and the consecutive action executionflag is turned on, the consecutive action executive flag is set to “1”as the malicious play execution flag. On the other hand, when theconsecutive actions are not executed and the consecutive actionexecution flag is not turned on, the consecutive action execution flagit is set to “0” as the malicious play execution flag. In theconsecutive action execution flag-on function, the malicious playexecution flag is set to “1” when it is determined that the pitchercharacter performs the BB/HBP actions ten times in the first consecutiveaction determination function.

Next, in the warning display function, a warning is displayed on thefirst display unit when the consecutive action execution flag is turnedon by the consecutive action execution flag-on function. In this case,when the malicious play execution flag is set to “1”, a warning “If youperform a malicious play next time, you will lose the game” is displayedon the first display unit of the first game player who is responsiblefor the malicious plays. However, the warning is not displayed on thesecond display unit of the second terminal device used by the secondgame player who suffers from the malicious plays by the first gameplayer. In the warning display function, the warning “If you perform amalicious play next time, you will lose the game” is displayed on thefirst display unit of the first terminal device of the first game playerwho is responsible for the malicious plays.

Next, in the second predetermined action determination function, thefirst control unit determines whether or not the first game characterperforms the predetermined action in accordance with the operation ofthe first control unit after the warning is displayed in the warningdisplay function. In this case, whether or not the first game characterperforms the predetermined action in accordance with the operation ofthe first operation unit after the warning is displayed in the warningdisplay function is a determination condition for determining whether ornot the first game character newly performs the malicious plays inaccordance with a further intentional operation of the first game playereven though the warning “If you perform a malicious play next time, youwill lose the game” is displayed on the first display unit of the firstterminal device used by the first game player. Also, it is hereindetermined whether or not the first game character performs thepredetermined actions in accordance with the operation of the firstoperation unit. Therefore, the determination condition is notnecessarily limited to whether or not the first game character performspredetermined actions at the predetermined frequency, but may beincluding whether or not the pitcher character further performs theBB/HBP action once more after the warning is displayed, or whether ornot the pitcher character further performs the pickoff action once moreafter the warning is displayed, for instance. In the secondpredetermined action determination function, it is determined whether ornot the pitcher character further performs the BB/HBP action once more.

Finally, in the first disciplinary action execution function, the firstdisciplinary action is executed for the first game player when the firstcontrol unit determines that the first game character performs thepredetermined actions in the second predetermined action determinationfunction. In this case, the first disciplinary action for the first gameplayer is an action for giving a penalty to a malicious player (i.e.,the first game player). For example, this is an action that results forthe first player's team in losing the game. In the first disciplinaryaction execution function, the first disciplinary action is executed forthe first game player for producing a result that the first gameplayer's team loses the game when it is determined that the pitchercharacter performs the BB/HBP action once more in the secondpredetermined action determination function.

According to the game program, in the first consecutive actiondetermination function, it is determined whether or not the first gamecharacter performs the predetermined actions at the predeterminedfrequency (i.e., whether or not the pitcher character performs theBB/HBP actions ten times). Then, in the consecutive action executionflag-on function, the consecutive action execution flag indicatingexecution of consecutive actions is set to an on-state (i.e., themalicious play execution flag is set to “1”) when the first gamecharacter performs the predetermined actions at the predeterminedfrequency (i.e., the pitcher character performs the BB/HBP actions tentimes). Next, in the warning display function, the warning “If youperform a malicious play next time, you will lose the game” is displayedon the first display unit of the first terminal device used by the firstgame player responsible for the malicious plays when the consecutiveaction execution flag is set to an on-state (i.e., the malicious playexecution flag is set to “1”). Next, in the second predetermined actiondetermination function, it is determined whether or not the first gamecharacter performs a predetermined action (i.e., whether or not thepitcher character performs the BB/HBP action once more) in accordancewith the operation of the first operation unit after the warning isdisplayed. Finally, in the first disciplinary action execution function,the first disciplinary action (i.e., the action for producing a resultthat the first game player's team loses the game) is executed for thefirst game player when the first game character performs thepredetermined action (i.e., the pitcher character performs the BB/HBPaction once more) in accordance with the operation of the firstoperation unit after the warning is displayed.

In this case, when the malicious first game player repeatedly performsthe malicious plays (i.e., consecutive BB/HBP actions), the warning “Ifyou perform a malicious play next time, you will lose the game” isdisplayed on the first display unit of the first terminal device used bythe first game player in the warning display function. Therefore, it ispossible to make the first game player recognize that he/she performsthe malicious plays. Furthermore, the first disciplinary action (i.e.,the action for producing a result that the first game player's teamloses the game) is executed for the first game player in the firstdisciplinary action execution function when the first game characternewly performs a malicious play in accordance with a further intentionaloperation of the first game player even though the warning is displayedon the first display unit. Accordingly, it is possible to resolve aconventional condition in which the second player is unreasonably forcedto select a command for giving in to the first game player due to themalicious plays, by giving a penalty to the first game player havingrepeatedly performs the malicious plays. Furthermore, the second gameplayer's team will win the game when the first disciplinary action forthe first game player is the action for producing a result that thefirst game player's team loses the game. Therefore, it is possible toproduce a condition advantageous for the second game player who suffersfrom the malicious plays of the first game player. In other words, thesecond game player is capable of obtaining compensation because of themalicious plays. Additionally, the malicious first game playerrecognizes a penalty to be given for the malicious plays. Therefore, itis possible to inhibit (counteract) a further malicious play. It isthereby possible to realize healthier network match-up game.Consequently, it is possible to realize a match-up game with higheramusement compared to the conventional match-up game.

A second aspect of the present invention relates to the game programaccording to the first aspect. The functions further include:

(6) A first consecutive action execution frequency count function forcounting consecutive action execution frequency indicating frequency ofexecution of consecutive actions when the first control unit in thefirst consecutive action determination function determines that thefirst game character performs the predetermined actions at thepredetermined frequency.

Additionally, the warning display function causes the first display unitto display the warning before the start of the match-up game when theconsecutive action execution frequency is counted to be equal to orgreater than a predetermined frequency in the first consecutive actionexecution frequency count function.

According to the game executed by the game program, when it isdetermined that the first game character performs the predeterminedactions at the predetermined frequency in the first consecutive actiondetermination function, the consecutive action execution frequencyindicating frequency of execution of consecutive actions is counted inthe first consecutive action execution frequency count function. Then,when the consecutive action execution frequency counted in the firstconsecutive action execution frequency count function is equal to orgreater than a predetermined frequency, a warning is displayed on thefirst display unit in the warning display function before the start ofthe match-up game. In this case, “the consecutive action executionfrequency indicating frequency of execution of consecutive actions”means frequency of execution of t malicious plays, and each of themalicious plays corresponds to a set of consecutive actions (e.g.,consecutive ten-times BB/HBP actions performs by a pitcher character).Then, when frequency of execution of consecutive actions is equal to orgreater than a predetermined frequency (e.g., a set of consecutiveten-times BB/HBP actions), a warning such as “If you perform a maliciousplay next time, you will lose the game” is displayed on the firstdisplay unit before the start of the match-up game. In this case, thecondition of displaying the warning is determined by the consecutiveaction execution frequency indicating frequency of execution ofconsecutive actions. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately changethe content of the warning on the basis of the consecutive actionexecution frequency. Additionally, the waning is displayed before thestart of the match-up game every time the consecutive action executionfrequency is counted to be once. Therefore, it is possible to inhibit(counteract) a further malicious play by the first game player.

A third aspect of the present invention relates to the game programaccording to the second aspect. The functions further include:

(7) A second consecutive action execution frequency count function forcounting consecutive action execution frequency indicating frequency ofexecution of consecutive actions when the first control unit in thesecond predetermined action determination function determines that thefirst game character performs the predetermined actions at thepredetermined frequency, and

(8) A second disciplinary action execution function for executing asecond disciplinary action for the first game player when theconsecutive action execution frequency is counted to be equal to orgreater than a predetermined frequency in the second consecutive actionexecution frequency count function.

According to the game executed by the game program, when it isdetermined that the first game character performs predetermined actionsat the predetermined frequency in the second predetermined actiondetermination function, the consecutive action execution frequencyindicating frequency of execution of consecutive actions is counted inthe second consecutive action execution frequency count function. Whenthe consecutive action execution frequency counted by the secondconsecutive action execution frequency count function is equal to orgreater than a predetermined frequency, the second disciplinary actionis executed for the first game player in the second disciplinary actionexecution function. In this case, determination in the secondpredetermined action determination function, that is, “whether or not apredetermined action is performed”, corresponds to determination whetheror not the first game character performs the predetermined actions atthe predetermined frequency. In this case, when the consecutive actionexecution frequency counted by the second consecutive action executionfrequency count function is equal to or greater than a predeterminedfrequency (e.g., frequency of the malicious plays is equal to or greaterthan six), it is possible to give a penalty to a malicious game playerin accordance with frequency of the malicious plays by setting thesecond disciplinary action for the first game player to be harsher(i.e., the action for suspending an account of a game player, that issuspension of authentication information necessary for playing thenetwork game) than the first disciplinary action for the first gameplayer (i.e., the action for producing a result that the first gameplayer's team loses the game), for instance.

A fourth aspect of the present invention relates to the game programaccording to the third aspect. The functions further include:

(9) A third consecutive action determination function for causing thefirst control unit to determine whether or not the first game characterperforms the predetermined actions at the predetermined frequency inaccordance with an operation of the first operation unit after thesecond disciplinary action is executed for the first player in thesecond disciplinary action execution function, and

(10) A third disciplinary action execution function for executing athird disciplinary action for the first game player when the firstcontrol unit in the third consecutive action determination functiondetermines that the first game character performs the predeterminedactions at the predetermined frequency.

According to the game realized by the game program, the first controlunit determines whether or not the first game character performs thepredetermined actions at the predetermined frequency in accordance withthe operation of the first operation unit in the third consecutiveaction determination function after the second disciplinary action isexecuted for the first game player in the second disciplinary actionexecution function. When the first control unit determines that thefirst game character performs the predetermined actions at thepredetermined frequency in the third consecutive action determinationfunction, the third disciplinary action is executed for the first gameplayer in the third disciplinary action execution function. In thiscase, when the second disciplinary action (i.e., the action forsuspending an account of a game player) is executed in the seconddisciplinary action execution function and then the suspended gameplayer is allowed to participate in the network game again after his/hersuspended account becomes available, it is possible to give a severepenalty (e.g., a game player is not allowed to participate in thenetwork game from now on) to the malicious game player having repeatedlyand relentlessly performed the malicious plays by setting the thirddisciplinary action for the first game player to be harsher (i.e., theaction for deleting an account of a game player) than the seconddisciplinary action for the first game player (i.e., the action ofsuspending an account of a game player) in the third disciplinary actionexecution function.

A fifth aspect of the present invention relates to the game programaccording to the third aspect. The functions further include:

(11) A third consecutive action determination function for causing thefirst control unit to determine whether or not the first game characterperforms the predetermined actions at the predetermined frequency inaccordance with an operation of the first operation unit after thesecond disciplinary action is executed for the first game player in thesecond disciplinary action execution function,

(12) A third consecutive action execution frequency count function forcounting consecutive action execution frequency indicating frequency ofexecution of previous consecutive actions when the first control unit inthe third consecutive action determination function determines that thefirst game character performs the predetermined actions at thepredetermined frequency, and

(13) A consecutive action execution frequency reduction executionfunction for reducing the consecutive action execution frequency countedin the third consecutive action execution frequency count function by apredetermined value when the first control unit in the third consecutiveaction determination function determines that the first game characterdoes not performs the predetermined actions at the predeterminedfrequency.

This game program gives so-called a chance of repentance to a gameplayer with the experience of a malicious play.

According to the game realized by the game program, the first controlunit in the third consecutive action determination function determineswhether or not the first game character performs the predeterminedactions at the predetermined frequency in accordance with the operationof the first operation unit after the second disciplinary action isexecuted for the first game player in the second disciplinary actionexecution function. When it is determined that the first characterperforms the predetermined actions at the predetermined frequency in thethird consecutive action determination function, the consecutive actionexecution frequency indicating frequency of execution of consecutiveactions is counted in the third consecutive action execution frequencycount function. When the first control unit in the third consecutiveaction determination function determines that the first game characterhad not perform the predetermined actions at the predeterminedfrequency, the consecutive action execution frequency counted by thethird consecutive action execution frequency count function is reducedby a predetermined value in the consecutive action execution frequencyreduction execution function. In this case, when the second disciplinaryaction (i.e., the action for suspending an account) is executed in thesecond disciplinary action execution function and then the suspendedgame player is allowed to participate in the network game again afterhis/her suspended account becomes available, the consecutive actionexecution frequency (i.e., frequency of execution of previous themalicious plays) counted by the third consecutive action executionfrequency count function is configured to be reduced by a predeterminedvalue (e.g., one) in the consecutive action execution frequencyexecution function whether or not it is determined in the thirdconsecutive action determination function that the malicious first gameplayer does not perform the malicious plays (i.e., the pitcher characterperforms the BB/HBP actions ten times) until the end of the baseballmatch because the first game player repents his/her deed. In this case,if the malicious first game player repents his/her deed and does notperform the malicious plays (i.e., the pitcher character performs theBB/HBP actions ten times) until the end of the baseball match, it ispossible to motivate the first game player to change from a maliciousplayer into a good player by reducing frequency of execution of theprevious malicious plays.

A sixth aspect of the present invention relates to the game programaccording to the fifth aspect. In the game program, the consecutiveaction execution frequency reduction execution function is configured toreduce the consecutive action execution frequency for making the rate ofreducing the consecutive action execution frequency by the predeterminedfrequency smaller than the rate of increasing the consecutive actionexecution frequency by the predetermined frequency when the consecutiveactions are executed. For example, when malicious plays are performed,frequency of execution of the malicious plays is increased by threetimes. On the other hand, when malicious plays are not performed,frequency of execution of the malicious plays is reduced by once.Accordingly, it is possible to give certain difficulty to a maliciousgame player for changing into a good game player.

A seventh aspect of the present invention relates to the game programaccording to the fifth aspect. The functions of the game program furtherinclude:

(14) A warning display negation function for negating the warningdisplay function after the consecutive action execution frequency isreduced by the predetermined frequency in the consecutive actionexecution frequency reduction execution function.

According to the game realized by the game program, the warning displayfunction is negated by the warning display negation function after theconsecutive action execution frequency is reduced by the predeterminedfrequency in the consecution action execution frequency reductionexecution function. In this case, when the malicious first player is ina process of changing into a good player, the warning is not configuredto be displayed in the warning display negation function. Accordingly,it is possible to make the first player to actually feel that he/she isnow in a process of changing from a malicious player into a good player.

An eighth aspect of the game program relates to the game programaccording to the fifth aspect. The functions of the game program furtherinclude:

(15) A consecutive action execution flag-off function for turning offthe consecutive action execution flag indicating execution ofconsecutive actions when the first control unit in the consecutiveaction execution frequency reduction execution function determines thatthe consecutive action execution frequency reaches the predeterminedfrequency.

According to the game realized by the game program, the consecutiveaction execution flag indicating execution of consecutive actions isturned off in the consecutive action execution flag-off function whenthe first control unit determines that the consecutive action executionfrequency reaches a predetermined frequency in the consecutive actionexecution frequency reduction execution function. In this case, theconsecutive action execution flag indicating execution of consecutiveactions is set to an off-state (i.e., the malicious play execution flagis set to “0”) when the consecutive action execution frequency reaches apredetermined frequency (e.g., zero). Therefore, it is possible to reseta state of a malicious first player to the initial state.

A ninth aspect of the present invention relates to a game device. Thegame device is configured to execute a match-up game. The match-up gameis configured to cause a first control unit of a first terminal deviceto make a first game character displayed on both a first display unit ofthe first terminal device and a second display unit of a second terminaldevice to perform an action in accordance with an operation of a firstoperation unit of the first terminal device. The match-up game is alsoconfigured to cause the first control unit to make a second gamecharacter displayed on both the first display unit and the seconddisplay unit to perform an action in accordance with an operation of asecond operation unit of the second terminal device. The game deviceincluding first consecutive action determination means, consecutiveaction execution flag-on means, warning display means, secondpredetermined action determination means, and first disciplinaryexecution means. In the first consecutive action determination means,the first control unit is caused to determine whether or not the firstgame character performs the predetermined actions at the predeterminedfrequency in accordance with an operation of the first operation unit.In the consecutive action execution flag-on means, a consecutive actionexecution flag indicating execution of consecutive actions is turned onwhen the first control unit in the first consecutive actiondetermination means determines that the first game character performsthe predetermined actions at the predetermined frequency. In the warningdisplay means, the first display unit is caused to display a warningwhen the consecutive action execution flag is turned on in theconsecutive action execution flag-on means. In the second predeterminedaction determination means, the first control unit is caused todetermine whether or not the first game character performs thepredetermined action in accordance with an operation of the firstoperation unit after the display unit in the warning display meansdisplayed the warning. In the first disciplinary execution means, afirst disciplinary action is executed for the first game player when thefirst control unit in the second predetermined action determinationmeans determines that the first game character performs thepredetermined action.

A tenth aspect of the present invention relates to a game controlmethod. The game control method is configured to cause a computer tocontrol a match-up game. The match-up game causes a first control unitof a first terminal device to make a first game character displayed onboth a first display unit of the first terminal device and a seconddisplay unit of a second terminal device to perform a action inaccordance with an operation of a first operation unit of the firstterminal device. The match-up game also causes the first control unit tomake a second game character displayed on both the first display unitand the second display unit to perform an action in accordance with anoperation of a second operation unit of the second terminal device. Thegame control method includes: causing the first control unit todetermine whether or not the first game character performs thepredetermined actions at the predetermined frequency in accordance withan operation of the first operation unit; turning on a consecutiveaction execution flag indicating execution of consecutive actions whenthe first control unit in the first consecutive action determinationmeans determines that the first game character performs thepredetermined actions at the predetermined frequency; causing the firstdisplay unit to display a warning when the consecutive action executionflag is turned on in the consecutive action execution flag-on means;causing the first control unit to determine whether or not the firstgame character performs the predetermined action in accordance with anoperation of the first operation unit after the display unit in thewarning display means displayed the warning; and executing a firstdisciplinary action for the first game player when the first controlunit in the second predetermined action determination means determinesthat the first game character performs the predetermined action.

An eleventh aspect of the present invention relates to a game system.The game system is configured to cause a first control unit of a firstterminal device and a second control unit of a second terminal device toexecute a match-up game in a first computer provided in the firstterminal device and a second computer provided in the second terminaldevice. The first terminal device and the second terminal device arecapable of executing the match-up game through a network communication.The first terminal device is used by a first game player while thesecond terminal device is used by a second game player. The match-upgame causes the first control unit and the second control unit to make afirst game character displayed on a first display unit of the firstterminal device and a second display unit of the second terminal deviceto perform an action in accordance with an operation of a firstoperation unit of the first terminal device. The match-up game is alsoconfigured to cause the first control unit and the second control unitto make a second game character displayed on the first display unit andthe second display unit to perform an action in accordance with anoperation of a second operation unit of the second terminal device. Thegame system includes a first consecutive action determination function,a consecutive action execution flag-on function, a warning displayfunction, a second predetermined action determination function, and afirst disciplinary action execution function. In the first consecutiveaction determination function, the first control unit and the secondcontrol unit are caused to determine whether or not the first gamecharacter or the second game character performs the predeterminedactions at the predetermined frequency in accordance with an operationof the first operation unit or the second operation unit. In theconsecutive action execution flag-on function, a consecutive actionexecution flag indicating execution of consecutive actions is turned onwhen the first control unit and the second control unit in the firstconsecutive action determination function determines that the first gamecharacter or the second game character performs the predeterminedactions at the predetermined frequency. In the warning display function,the first display unit or the second display unit is caused to display awarning when the consecutive action execution flag is turned on in theconsecutive action execution flag-on function. In the secondpredetermined action determination function, the first control unit andthe second control unit are caused to determine whether or not the firstgame character or the second game character performs the predeterminedaction in accordance with an operation of the first operation unit orthe second operation unit after the display unit in the warning displayfunction displayed the warning. In the first disciplinary executionfunction, a first disciplinary action is executed for the first gameplayer or the second game player when the first control unit and thesecond control unit in the second predetermined action determinationfunction determines that the first game character or the second gamecharacter performs the predetermined action.

According to the network game program of the present invention, theconsecutive action execution frequency indicating frequency of executionof consecutive actions is counted in the first consecutive actionexecution frequency count function when it is determined in the firstconsecutive action determination function that the first game characterperforms the predetermined actions at the predetermined frequency.Furthermore, the warning presentation is displayed on the first displayunit in the warning display function before the start of the match-upgame when the consecutive action execution frequency is counted to beequal to or greater than a predetermined frequency in the firstconsecutive action execution frequency count function. In this case, thecondition for displaying the warning is determined based on theconsecutive action execution frequency indicating frequency of executionof consecutive actions. Accordingly, it is possible to appropriatelychange the content of the warning presentation on the basis of theconsecutive action execution frequency. Additionally, the warning isconfigured to be displayed before the start of the match-up game everytime when the consecutive action execution frequency is counted to beeven once. Accordingly, it is possible to inhibit (counteract) thefurther malicious plays by the first player.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of thisoriginal disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for illustrating a network game system of anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for illustrating a configuration of a firstterminal device of the network game system;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram for illustrating functions of the firstterminal device;

FIG. 4 is an alarm screen to be displayed on a first display unit of thefirst terminal device;

FIG. 5 is an ending screen of a match-up game to be displayed on thefirst display section;

FIG. 6 is an ending screen of the match-up game to be displayed on asecond display unit of the second terminal device;

FIG. 7 is another alarm screen to be displayed on the first displaysection;

FIG. 8 is an another alarm screen to be displayed on the first displaysection;

FIG. 9 is a match-up screen to be displayed on the second displaysection for displaying the match-up between a pitcher character and abatter character.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for illustrating the entire game progress controlprocessing of the network game system;

FIG. 11 is a first half of a flowchart for illustrating warning displaycontrol processing for the malicious plays in the baseball video game ofthe network game system; and

FIG. 12 is a second half of the flowchart for illustrating the warningdisplay control processing for the malicious plays in the baseball videogame of the network game system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Selected embodiments of the present invention will now be explained withreference to the drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in theart from this disclosure that the following descriptions of theembodiments of the present invention are provided for illustration onlyand not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by theappended claims and their equivalents.

Network Game System Configuration

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for illustrating a configuration of a networkgame system. A first terminal device 101, a second terminal device 102,and a server 103 are connected in the network game system. The firstterminal device 101 is an example of a computer allowing a game programof the present invention to be installed therein. The second terminaldevice 102 is allowed to play a communication match-up game with thefirst terminal device 101 through the internet 100. The server 103 isconfigured to authenticate connections of the first and second terminaldevices 101 and 102 through the internet. Additionally, FIG. 2 is ablock diagram for illustrating an example configuration of the firstterminal device 101.

The network game system illustrated in FIG. 1 includes the firstterminal device 101, the second terminal device 102, and the server 103.The first terminal device 101, the second terminal device 102, and theserver 103 are connected through the internet 100, and are capable ofcommunicating with each other.

The first and second terminal devices 101 and 102 are terminal devicesused by game players (i.e., members). For example, the first and secondterminal devices 101 and 102 are personal computers respectivelyinstalled at homes of game players, and are capable of executing thebaseball video game as a network game. When game players (i.e., members)play a baseball video game in a game space with the first and secondterminal devices 101 and 102, the server 103 is configured to functionas a server device for determining an opponent of the game players.Additionally, when confirmation of member registration and charge forservices are executed, the server 103 is configured to function as aserver device for authenticating game players. A game program is storedin the first and second terminal devices 101 and 102 for executing thenetwork game. The network game is configured to be played through thedirect data transmission between the first and second terminal devices101 and 102 (i.e., so-called “P2P (peer-to-peer)” communication).Therefore, the server 103 does not store any game programs for executingthe network game. The server 103 mainly stores the authenticationprogram for authenticating game players. In addition to the first andsecond terminal devices 101 and 102, a plurality of terminal devices(not illustrated in the figure) used by a plurality of game players areconnected to the internet 100. The server 103 is configured to determinea pair of terminal devices that are used for the match-up game.

For example, a variety of information is transmitted among the firstterminal device 101, the second terminal device 102, and the server 103through the internet 100 in accordance with TCP/IP (transmission controlprotocol/internet protocol). Especially, the first and second terminaldevices 101 and 102 establish a P2P communication. Then a variety ofinformation is transmitted between the first and second terminal devices101 and 102 by a transport layer protocol of the TCP/IP (i.e., UDP (theuser datagram protocol)). The UDP is not configured to perform datatransmission confirmation and error correction. In other words, the UDPis configured to unilaterally transmit data to a receiver's terminal.Therefore, data reliability is low, but data transmission speed is high.Because of the properties, the UDP is widely used in the match-upnetwork game for transmitting a large amount of data among terminaldevices at high speed. When the internet 100 is used, the first andsecond terminal devices 101 and 102 are normally connected to apredetermined internet provider's server through devices (e.g., modems).In short, the first and second terminal devices 101 and 102 areconnected to the internet 100 via the internet provider's server.However, for easy and simple explanation, the internet provider's serveris not herein illustrated and described.

Game players of the first and second terminal devices 101 and 102 havealready registered as members for using a predetermined service providedby a company controlling the network game. For example, game players ofthe first and second terminal devices 101 and 102 play the communicationmatch-up baseball video game. In the baseball video game, a second gameplayer uses the second terminal device 102, and operates a pitchercharacter in a game space. The pitcher character corresponds to apitcher in a real baseball game. On the other hand, a first game playeruses the first terminal device 101, and operates a batter character inthe same game space. The batter character corresponds to a batter in areal baseball game. Thus, the batter character hits a ball objectreleased by the pitcher character. The ball object corresponds to a ballin a real baseball game.

Network Game Device Configuration

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first terminal device 101 is madeup of a control unit 1 a, a first storage unit 2 a, a first display unit3 a, a first audio output unit 4 a, a first operation unit 5 a, and afirst communication unit 6 a. These units are connected to each otherthrough a bus 30 a. The bus 30 a includes an address bus, a data bus, acontrol bus, and the like. In this case, the first control unit 1 a, thefirst storage unit 2 a, the first audio output unit 4 a, the firstoperation unit 5 a, and the first communication unit 6 a are included inthe personal computer, and the first display unit 3 a is included in anexternal display monitor connected to the personal computer. On theother hand, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the server 103 is mainly made upof a server control unit 1 c, a server storage unit 2 c, and a servercommunication unit 6 c.

The first control unit 1 a is provided for mainly controlling progressof the entire game based on the game program. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 2, the first control unit 1 a is made up of a CPU(Central Processing Unit) 7 a, a signal processor 8 a, and an imageprocessor 9 a. The CPU 7 a, the signal processor 8 a, and the imageprocessor 9 a are connected to each other through the bus 30 a.

The CPU 7 a interprets a command from a game program and executes avariety of data processing and data controls. For example, the CPU 7 acommands the signal processor 8 a to provide the image data to the imageprocessor 9 a. The signal processor 8 a mainly executes computations inthe three-dimensional space, position conversion computations from thethree-dimensional space to a virtual three-dimensional space, lightsource computation processing, and data generation and data processingof image data and audio data. The image processor 9 a mainly executesprocessing of writing image data on a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12 abased on the computation results and processing results of the signalprocessor 8 a. The image data written in the RAM 12 a will besubsequently rendered.

The first memory unit 2 a is provided mainly for storing the programdata, various types of data used for the program data, and the like. Forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the first storage unit 2 a is made upof the recording medium (computer readable medium) 10 a, an interfacecircuit 11 a, and the RAM 12 a. The interface circuit 11 a is connectedto the recording medium 10 a. The interface circuit 11 a and the RAM 12a are connected through the bus 30 a.

The recording medium 10 a stores program data of the operation system,game data made up of image data, audio data, and various types ofprogram data, and the like. For example, the recording medium 10 a is aHDD (hard disk drive) installed in the interior of the personalcomputer. The program data of the operating system, the game data, andthe like are stored in the recording medium 10 a. Also, a CD-ROM isincluded in the category of the recording medium 10 a. In this case, areader device is installed in the interior of the personal computer, andthe reader device is capable of reading the CD-ROM. Also, an initialprogram is stored in the CD-ROM for installing the program data of theoperating system and the game data in the personal computer. The HDD isused for storing various game parameters as unique data of a game playerat the point of interruption of the game.

The RAM 12 a is used for temporarily storing various types of data readout of the recording medium 10 a, and for temporarily recording theprocessing results of the first control unit 1 a. The RAM 12 a storesaddress data as well as various types of data. The address dataindicates the memory location of various types of data. The RAM 12 a isconfigured to be allowed to specify an arbitrary address and read/writedata from/onto the address.

The first display unit 3 a is provided for mainly outputting varioustypes of image data as an image. For example, the various types of imagedata include the image data written onto the RAM 12 a by the imageprocessor 9 a and the image data read out of the recording medium 10 a.For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the first display unit 3 a ismade up of a LCD (liquid crystal display) 21 a, an interface circuit 22a, a D/A converter (Digital-to-Analog converter) 23 a. The D/A converter23 a is connected to the LCD 21 a, and the interface circuit 22 a isconnected to the D/A converter 23 a. In addition, the bus 30 a isconnected to the interface circuit 22 a. In this case, the image data isprovided to the D/A converter 23 a through the interface circuit 22 a,and is converted into an analog image signal in the D/A converter 23 a.Then, the analog image signal is outputted to the LCD 21 a as an image.In this case, the digital image signal may be outputted to the LCD 21 aas an image instead of providing it to the D/A converter 23 a. Also, theimage may be outputted to a CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitor instead ofproviding it to the LCD 21 a.

In this case, the image data includes polygon data, texture data, andthe like. The polygon data is the coordinate data of vertices forming apolygon. The texture data is used for setting texture with respect tothe polygon. The texture data is made up of texture specifying data andtexture color data. The texture specifying data is used for associatingthe polygon and the texture, and the texture color data is used forspecifying the texture color. In this case, the polygon data and thetexture data are associated with polygon address data and textureaddress data, respectively. The polygon address data and the textureaddress data include storage locations of the polygon data and thetexture data, respectively. As to the image data of this type, thesignal processor 8 a performs coordinate conversion and perspectiveprojection conversion with respect to the polygon data in thethree-dimensional space (i.e., the three-dimensional polygon data)specified by the polygon address data based on the displacement data andthe rotation amount data of the screen itself (i.e., point of sight).Accordingly, the polygon data is converted into the polygon data in thetwo-dimensional space (i.e., the two-dimensional polygon data). Then, apolygon outline is constituted with a plurality of two-dimensionalpolygon data, and texture data specified by the texture address data iswritten onto the internal area of the polygon. Thus, it is possible toexpress a variety of objects (i.e., characters) made by applying thetexture to each polygon.

The first audio output unit 4 a is provided mainly for outputting theaudio data read out of the recording medium 10 a as audio. For example,as illustrated in FIG. 2, the first audio output unit 4 a is made up ofa speaker 13 a, an amplifier circuit 14 a, a D/A converter 15 a, and aninterface circuit 16 a. The amplifier circuit 14 a is connected to thespeaker 13 a. The D/A converter 15 a is connected to the amplifiercircuit 14 a. The interface circuit 16 a is connected to the D/Aconverter 15 a. In addition, the bus 30 a is connected to the interfacecircuit 16 a. In this case, the audio data is provided to the D/Aconverter 15 a through the interface circuit 16 a and is converted intoan analog audio signal. The analog audio signal is amplified by theamplifier circuit 14 a, and is outputted from the speaker 13 a as audio.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the first operation input unit 5 a is mainlymade up of a keyboard 17 a, a mouse 18 a, an operation informationinterface circuit 19 a, and an interface circuit 20 a. The operationinformation interface circuit 19 a is connected to the keyboard 17 a andthe mouse 18 a, and the interface circuit 20 a is connected to theoperation information interface circuit 19 a. In addition, the bus 30 ais connected to the interface circuit 20 a.

The keyboard 18 a and the mouse 18 a are operation devices used by agame player for inputting a variety of operation commands. The keyboard18 a and the mouse 18 a transmit an operation signal to the CPU 7 a inaccordance with a game player's operation. The keyboard 17 a is used forgiving the CPU 7 a a command for moving a character and a cursor in anyof the directions of up, down, right, and left on a screen displayed onthe LCD 21 a by operating up, down, right and left keys. For example,when an “S” key of the keyboard 17 a is operated, CPU 7 a is given acommand for causing a pitcher character to perform a pitching motion onthe screen displayed on the LCD 21 a or a command for causing a battercharacter to perform a hitting motion on the screen displayed on the LCD21 a. Furthermore, when a “SPACE” key is operated, the CPU 7 a is givena command for interrupting the match-up. When an “ESC” key is operated,the CPU 7 a is given a command for terminating the match-up. In thiscase, operations of the keyboard 17 a may be replaced by operations ofthe mouse 18 a (e.g., click or movement of the mouse 18 a). For example,when an “F11” key is operated, the CPU 7 a is given a command forswitching an input operation of the keyboard 17 a into that of the mouse18 a.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the first communication unit 6 a is mainlymade up of a communication information interface circuit 24 a, aninterface circuit 25 a, and a modem 26 a. The communication informationinterface circuit 24 a is connected to the modem 26 a, and the interfacecircuit 25 a is connected to the communication information interfacecircuit 24 a. In addition, the bus 30 a is connected to the interfacecircuit 25 a.

The modem 26 a is connected to the first terminal device 101 through anNIC (network interface card) attached to the interior or exterior of thefirst terminal device 101. The modem 26 is configured to be connected tothe internet 100 via an internet provider server. For example, a gameplayer rents the modem 26 a from the internet provider for accessing theinternet provider's server. The modem 26 a is capable of obtaining aunique address (i.e., a global IP address) on the internet 100. Thus, itis possible to identify a game player with the global IP address. Also,it is possible to access the first terminal device 101 through the modem26 a from the internet 100. When the UDP communication is executedthrough the modem 26 a, it is required for the first terminal device 101to permit communication through an exclusive port (e.g., number 12079)by a router connected to the NIC. In this case, the first terminaldevice 101 is connected to the internet 100 through the model 26 a, andis capable of establishing the P2P communication with a model 26 b ofthe second terminal device 102.

The second terminal device 102 has the same configuration as the firstterminal device 101. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the second terminaldevice 102 is made up of a second control unit 1 b, a second storageunit 2 b, a second display unit 3 b, a second sound output unit 4 b, asecond operation unit 5 b, and a second communication unit 6 b.Configurations of the second control unit 1 b, the second storage unit 2b, the second display unit 3 b, the second sound output unit 4 b, thesecond operation unit 5 b, and the second communication unit 6 b are thesame as those of the above-mentioned first control unit 1 a, the firststorage unit 2 a, the first display unit 3 a, the first sound outputunit 4 a, the first operation unit 5 a, and the first communication unit6 a. Therefore, their detailed explanation will be hereinafter omitted.Also, the alphabet “a” added to the number given to the elements of thefirst terminal device 101 corresponds to the alphabet “b” added to thenumber given to the elements of the second terminal device 102. Forexample, the second terminal device 102 is provided with a modem 26 b(not illustrated in the figure) corresponding to the modem 26 a of thefirst terminal device 101. In this case, the second terminal device 102is connected to the internet 100 through the modem 26 b. Also, thesecond terminal device 102 is capable of establishing the P2Pcommunication with the modem 26 a of the first terminal device 101.

The general operations of the above-configured network game device willbe hereinafter explained.

When a network game application is started in the first terminal device101 used by the first game player, the CPU 7 a reads out image data,audio data, and program data from the recording medium 10 a based on theoperating system stored in the recording medium 10 a. The RAM 12 astores all or part of the read-out data including the image data, theaudio data, and the program data. Also, the RAM 12 a stores operationinformation from the keyboard 17 a and the mouse 18 a, and a variety ofinformation to be obtained from the second terminal device 102 throughthe modem 26 a. Then, the CPU 7 a issues commands for data stored in theRAM 12 a (e.g., the image data and the audio data) based on the programdata stored in the RAM 12 a.

For the image data, the signal processor 8 a firstly performs a varietyof computations (e.g., positional computation and light sourcecomputation for a character in the three-dimensional space) based on thecommand from the CPU 7 a. Next, the image processor 9 a executes avariety of processing (e.g., processing for writing the image data (tobe rendered) onto the RAM 12 a) based on the computation results by thesignal processor 8 a. Then, the image data written onto the RAM 12 a isprovided to the D/A converter 23 a through the interface circuit 22 a.In this case, the image data is converted into an analog image signal bythe D/A converter 23 a. The image data is subsequently provided to theLCD 21 a and is displayed as an image.

For the audio data, the signal processor 8 a firstly executes processingto generate and process audio data based on the command from the CPU 7a. In this case, a variety of processing (e.g., pitch conversion, noiseaddition, envelope setting, level setting, and reverb addition) areexecuted for the audio data. Next, the audio data is outputted from thesignal processor 8 a, and is provided to the D/A converter 15 a throughthe interface circuit 16 a. In this case, the audio data is convertedinto an analog audio signal. Then, the audio data is outputted as theaudio from the speaker 13 a through the amplifier circuit 14 a.

Operations to be executed in the second terminal device 102 used by thesecond game player are the same as those in the first terminal device101 used by the first game player. Accordingly, its detailed explanationwill be hereinafter omitted.

Summary of Various Processing in Network Game Device

As described above, a baseball video game is an example of the networkgame to be executed in the first and second terminal devices 101 and 102of the present embodiment. In the baseball video game, game players arecapable of playing a communication match-up game. The first terminaldevice 101 is capable of realizing a game of moving a characterdisplayed on the LCD 21 a through the operation of the first operationunit 5 a by the first game player. On the other hand, the secondterminal device 102 is capable of realizing a game of moving a characterdisplayed on the LCD 21 b through the operation of the second operationunit 5 b by the second game player. In this case, as illustrated in FIG.9, when the first game player of the first terminal device 101 operatesa pitcher character 70 and the second game player of the second terminaldevice 102 operates a batter character 72, it is possible to realize abaseball video game that the batter character 72 hits a ball objectreleased by the pitcher character 70. FIG. 3 is a block diagram forillustrating functions playing main roles in the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the first control unit 1 a of the firstterminal device 101 mainly includes first consecutive actiondetermination means 50, consecutive action execution flag-on means 51,first consecutive action execution frequency count means 52, warningdisplay means 53, second predetermined action determination means 54,first disciplinary action execution means 55, second consecutive actionexecution frequency count means 56, second disciplinary action executionmeans 57, third consecutive action determination means 58, thirddisciplinary action execution means 59, third consecutive actionexecution frequency count means 60, consecutive action executionfrequency reduction execution means 61, warning display negation means62, and consecutive action execution flag-off means 63.

The first consecutive action determination means 50 is configured tocause the first control unit 1 a to determine whether or not a pitchercharacter 70 consecutively or repeatedly performs predetermined actionsat a predetermined frequency by the operation of the first operationunit 5 a. In this case, a condition of whether or not the pitchercharacter 70 consecutively or repeatedly performs the predeterminedactions at the predetermined frequency is a determination condition fordetermining whether or not the pitcher character 70 performs themalicious plays in accordance with the intentional malicious operationby the first game player. For example, the determination conditionsherein include a condition of whether or not the pitcher character 70consecutively or repeatedly keeps performing base-on-ball or hit-batsman(hit-by-pitch) actions (hereinafter referred to as BB/HBP actions) tentimes, and a condition of whether or not the pitcher character 70consecutively or repeatedly performs a pickoff action twenty times. FIG.9 illustrates an example of a match-up screen 30. In this screen, if thepitcher character 70 performs a BB/HBP action in the next match-up witha batter character 72, the pitcher character 70 will consecutively orrepeatedly perform the BB/HBP actions ten times. Therefore, the battercharacter 72 displayed on the screen is the tenth batter for the pitchercharacter 72. Also, the match-up screen 30 includes a count 31, a score32, and a runner state 33. The count 31 indicates “3-0” (i.e., threeballs and no strike). The score 32 indicates “0-6”. In this case, theteam B has 6 points by consecutive BB/HBP actions. The runner state 33indicates a base-loaded state. In the first consecutive actiondetermination means 50, it is determined whether or not the pitchercharacter 70 consecutively or repeatedly performs the HH/HBP actions tentimes on the basis of the match-up result with the tenth battercharacter 72.

The consecutive action execution flag-on means 51 turns on a consecutiveaction execution flag when the first control unit 1 a determines thatthe pitcher character 70 consecutively or repeatedly performs thepredetermined actions at the predetermined frequency in the step of thefirst consecutive action determination means 50. In this case, theconsecutive action execution flag indicates consecutive execution ofpredetermined actions. Specifically, the consecutive action executionflag is a malicious play execution flag for indicating execution of themalicious plays. For example, when the consecutive action execution flagis turned on (i.e., when consecutive actions are executed), it is set to“1” as the malicious play execution flag. On the other hand, when theconsecutive action execution flag is turned off (i.e., when consecutiveactions are not executed), it is set to “0” as the malicious playexecution flag. Specifically, when the pitcher character 70consecutively or repeatedly performs the BB/HBP actions ten times, orwhen the pitcher character 70 consecutively or repeatedly performs thepickoff action twenty times, the pitcher character 70 is determined toperform the malicious plays. Thus, the malicious play execution flag isset to “1”. In the consecutive action execution flag-on means 51, themalicious play execution flag is set to “1” when the pitcher character70 is determined to have consecutively or repeatedly performs the BB/HBPactions ten times in the step of the first consecutive actiondetermination means 50. In this case, the first storage unit 2 a storesa variety of data including information that the consecutive actionexecution flag-on means 51 set the malicious play execution flag to “1”.

The first consecutive action execution frequency count means 52 isconfigured to count “consecutive action execution frequency” when thefirst consecutive action determination means 50 determines that thepitcher character 70 consecutively or repeatedly performs thepredetermined actions at the predetermined frequency. The consecutiveaction execution frequency indicates frequency of consecutiveperformance of predetermined actions. In this case, the consecutiveaction execution frequency is frequency of the malicious plays. When thepitcher character 70 consecutively or repeatedly performs the BB/HBPactions ten times, the consecutive BB/HBP actions are counted as a setof actions. In other words, when the set of actions is performed, theconsecutive action execution frequency is counted as once.

As described above, in the example of the match-up screen 30 of FIG. 9,when the pitcher character 70 keeps performing the BB/HBP action in thenext match-up with the batter character 72, the pitcher character 70will have consecutively or repeatedly performed the BB/HBP actions tentimes. Therefore, when the match-up between the pitcher character 70 andthe tenth batter character 72 results in “BB/HBP”, this means that thepitcher character 70 consecutively or repeatedly performs BB/HBP actionsten times. Accordingly, the first consecutive action execution frequencycount means 52 counts frequency of performance of consecutive actions asonce. The first storage unit 2 a stores a variety of data including thatthe first consecutive action execution frequency count means 52 countedthe frequency of performance of consecutive actions as once.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the warning display means 53 is configured todisplay a warning on the first display unit 3 a when the consecutiveaction execution flag-on means 51 turned on the consecutive actionexecution flag. Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the warningdisplay means 53 is configured to display another warning on the firstdisplay unit 3 a before the next match-up game is started if theconsecutive action execution frequency counted by the first consecutiveaction execution frequency count means 52 is equal to or greater than apredetermined frequency. Referring now back to FIG. 4, when themalicious play execution flag read out of the first storage unit 2 a isset to “1”, the warning is displayed on a display screen 40 of the firstdisplay unit 3 a of the first terminal device 101 used by the first gameplayer responsible for the malicious plays. Specifically, the warning isa text object 41 “If you perform a malicious play next time, you willlose the game”. Additionally, when frequency of performance ofconsecutive actions is equal to or greater than a predeterminedfrequency while consecutive ten-times BB/HBP actions of the pitchercharacter 70 are taken as a set of consecutive actions and frequency ofthe set of consecutive actions is counted as once, the warning displaymeans 53 is configured to display the text object 41 “If you perform amalicious play next time, you will lose the game” on the display screen40 of the first display unit 3 a of the first terminal device 101 usedby the first game player responsible for the malicious plays before thenext match-up game is started. On the other hand, no warning isdisplayed on the second display unit 3 b of the second terminal device102 used by the second game player who suffers from the malicious plays(not illustrated in the figure). In the warning display means 53, thewarning “If you perform a malicious play next time, you will lose thegame” is configured to be displayed on the first display unit 3 a beforethe next match-up game is started when the consecutive action executionflag-on means 51 turned on the consecutive action execution flag and theconsecutive action execution frequency counted by the first consecutiveaction execution frequency count means 52 is equal to or greater than apredetermined frequency.

The second predetermined action determination means 54 is configured tocause the first control unit 1 a to determine whether or not the pitchercharacter 70 performs the predetermined action by the operation of thefirst operation unit 5 a after the warning display means 53 displays thewarning. In this case, a condition of whether or not the pitchercharacter 70 performs the predetermined action by the operation of thefirst operation unit 5 a after the warning display means 53 displays thewarning is a determination condition for determining whether or not thepitcher character 70 performs a new malicious play in accordance withthe additional intentional operation of the first operation unit 5 a bythe first game player after the warning “If you perform a malicious playnext time, you will lose the game” is displayed on the first displayunit 3 a of the first terminal device 101 used by the first game player.In this case, it is determined whether or not the pitcher character 70performs the predetermined action by the operation of the firstoperation unit 5 a. Therefore, the determination condition is notlimited to a condition of whether or not the pitcher character 70consecutively or repeatedly performs the predetermined actions at thepredetermined frequency. In other words, the determination condition isa condition of whether or not the pitcher character 70 furtherconsecutively or repeatedly performs the BB/HBP action once more or acondition of whether or not the pitcher character 70 furtherconsecutively or repeatedly performs the pickoff action once more afterthe warning display means 53 displayed the warning. The secondpredetermined action determination means 54 is configured to determinewhether or not the pitcher character 70 further consecutively orrepeatedly performs the BB/HBP action once more.

The first disciplinary action execution means 55 is configured toexecute a first disciplinary action for the first game player when thefirst control unit 1 a determines that the pitcher character 70 performsthe predetermined action in the step of the second predetermined actiondetermination means 54. Here, the first disciplinary action for thefirst game player is an action for giving the first game player apenalty for the malicious plays. Specifically, this is resulting for thefirst game player's team in losing the game. In this case, asillustrated in FIG. 5, the text object 41 “You performed a maliciousplay and you lost the game” is displayed as a baseball-match endingpresentation on the display screen 40 of the first display unit 3 a ofthe first terminal device 101 used by the first game player responsiblefor the malicious plays. At the same time as this, as illustrated inFIG. 6, the text object 41 “Opponent player performed a malicious playand you won the game” is displayed as a baseball match endingpresentation on the display screen 40 of the second display unit 3 b ofthe second terminal device 102 used by the second game player whosuffers from the malicious plays. In the first disciplinary actionexecution means 55, the first disciplinary action is executed for thefirst game player for resulting the first game player's team in loosing(i.e., the team A in FIG. 9) the game when the second predeterminedaction determination means 54 determines that the pitcher character 70further consecutively or repeatedly performs the BB/HBP action oncemore.

The second consecutive action execution frequency count means 56 isconfigured to count the consecutive action execution frequency forindicating frequency of performance of consecutive actions as six timeswhen the second predetermined action determination means 54 determinesthat the pitcher character 70 consecutively or repeatedly performs thepredetermined actions at the predetermined frequency. Here, the firststorage unit 2 a stores a variety of data including information that thesecond consecutive action execution frequency count means 56 counted theconsecutive action execution frequency as six times.

The second disciplinary action execution means 57 is configured toexecute a second disciplinary action for the first game player when theconsecutive action execution frequency counted by the second consecutiveaction execution frequency count means 56 is equal to or greater than apredetermined frequency. Here, the determination condition to bedetermined by the second predetermined action determination means 54,that is the condition of whether or not a predetermined action isperformed, corresponds to a determination condition of whether or notthe pitcher character 70 consecutively or repeatedly performs thepredetermined actions at the predetermined frequency. Specifically, whenthe consecutive action execution frequency counted by the secondconsecutive action execution frequency count means 56 is equal to orgreater than a predetermined frequency (i.e., equal to or more thansix-times of the malicious plays), the second disciplinary action forthe first game player (i.e., action for suspending a user account, thatis, authentication information necessary for playing a network game )will be more strict than the first disciplinary action for the firstgame player (i.e., action for producing a result that the first gameplayer's team loses the game). As illustrated in FIG. 7, when theconsecutive action execution frequency counted by the second consecutiveaction execution frequency count means 56 is equal to or greater than apredetermined frequency (i.e., equal to or greater than six-times of themalicious plays), the warning display means 53 displays a warning “Ifyou perform a malicious play next time, your account will be suspended”on the first display unit 3 a before the match-up game is started priorto execution by the second disciplinary action execution means 57. Inthe second disciplinary action execution means 57, an action forsuspending a user account (i.e., the second disciplinary action for thefirst game player) is executed when the consecutive action executionfrequency counted by the second consecutive action execution frequencycount means 56 is equal to or greater than six times.

The third consecutive action determination means 58 is configured tocause the first control unit 1 a to determine whether or not the pitchercharacter 70 consecutively or repeatedly performs the predeterminedactions at the predetermined frequency by the operation of the firstoperation unit 5 a after the second disciplinary action execution means57 executes the second disciplinary action for the first game player. Inthe third consecutive action determination means 58, it is determinedwhether or not the pitcher character 70 consecutively or repeatedlyperforms the predetermined actions at the predetermined frequency (i.e.,whether or not the pitcher character 70 further consecutively orrepeatedly performs the BB/HBP action once more) after the action forsuspending a user account (i.e., the second disciplinary action for thefirst game player) is executed.

The third disciplinary action execution means 59 is configured toexecute a third disciplinary action for the first game player when thefirst control unit 1 a determines that the pitcher character 70consecutively or repeatedly performs the predetermined actions at thepredetermined frequency (i.e., the pitcher character 70 furtherconsecutively or repeatedly performs the BB/HBP action once more) in thestep of the third consecutive action determination means 58. In thiscase, when the suspended user account becomes available for the firstgame player and the first game player is allowed to participate in thenetwork game in a predetermined period (e.g., a month) after the seconddisciplinary action execution means 57 executes the second disciplinaryaction (i.e., an action of suspending the user account), the thirddisciplinary action execution means 59 is configured to set the thirddisciplinary action for the first game player (i.e., an action fordeleting the user account) to be more strict than the seconddisciplinary action for the first game player (i.e., an action forsuspending the user account). In this case, when the user account of thefirst game player is deleted, the first game player is not capable ofplaying the network game with the same account. Therefore, it ispossible to exclude a malicious game player from the network game. Asillustrated in FIG. 8, the warning display means 53 displays a warning“If you perform a malicious play next time, your account will bedeleted” on the first display unit 3 a before the match-up game isstarted prior to execution by the third disciplinary action executionmeans 59. In the third disciplinary action execution means 59, theaction for deleting the user account (i.e., the third disciplinaryaction for the first game player) is executed after the execution of thesecond disciplinary action execution means 57 when the third consecutiveaction determination means 58 determines that the pitcher character 70consecutively or repeatedly performs the predetermined actions at thepredetermined frequency, (i.e., the pitcher character 70 furtherconsecutively or repeatedly performs the BB/HBP action once more).

The third consecutive action execution frequency count means 60 isconfigured to count the consecutive action execution frequency forindicating frequency of performance of previous consecutive actions whenthe third consecutive action determination means 58 determines that thepitcher character 70 does not consecutively or repeatedly perform thepredetermined actions at the predetermined frequency.

The consecutive action execution frequency reduction execution means 61is configured to reduce the previous consecutive execution frequencycounted by the third consecutive action execution frequency count means60 by a predetermined value when the first control unit 1 a determinesthat the pitcher character 70 does not consecutively or repeatedlyperform the predetermined actions at the predetermined frequency in thestep of the third consecutive action determination means 58. Here, thefollowing situation is assumed. That is, the second disciplinary actionexecution means 57 executes the second disciplinary action (i.e., theaction for suspending the user account), and subsequently the suspendedaccount becomes available and the player is allowed to participate inthe network game again. When the third consecutive action determinationmeans 58 determines that the malicious first game player does notperform the malicious plays (i.e., the pitcher character 70 performsconsecutive ten-times BB/HBP actions) until the end of the baseballmatch because the first game player repents for his/her deed, theconsecutive action execution frequency reduction execution means 61 isconfigured to reduce the consecutive action execution frequency (e.g.,six times) counted by the third consecutive action execution frequencycount means 60 (i.e., the consecutive action execution frequencycorresponding to frequency of the previous malicious plays) by apredetermined value (e.g., once). In this case, when the malicious firstgame player does not perform the malicious plays (i.e., the pitchercharacter 70 performs consecutive ten-times BB/HBP actions) until theend of the baseball match because the first game player repents forhis/her deed, the first game player is given a chance of changing from amalicious player to a good player by reducing frequency of performanceof the previous malicious plays. Rate of reducing the consecutive actionexecution frequency by a predetermined value (i.e., once per a baseballmatch without any malicious plays) is set to the same as the rate ofincreasing the consecutive action execution frequency of performance ofconsecutive actions by a predetermined value (i.e., once per a baseballmatch with a malicious play). However, the rate of reducing theconsecutive action execution frequency by a predetermined value may beset to be smaller (e.g., once per three baseball matches without anymalicious plays) than the rate of increasing the consecutive actionexecution frequency when consecutive actions are executed by apredetermined value (e.g., once per a baseball match with a maliciousplay).

The warning display negation means 62 is configured to negate thewarning display means 53 after the consecutive action executionfrequency reduction execution means 61 reduces the consecutive actionexecution frequency by a predetermined value. In this case, the warningdisplay means 53 is not configured to display any warnings when a gameplayer is in a process of changing from a malicious player to a goodplayer.

The consecutive action execution flag-off means 63 is configured to turnof the consecutive action execution flag when the first control unit 1 adetermines that the consecutive action execution frequency reaches apredetermined frequency in the step of the consecutive action executionfrequency reduction execution means 61. As described above, turning onthe consecutive action execution flag indicates that the consecutiveactions are performed. In this case, when the consecutive actionexecution frequency reaches the predetermined frequency (e.g., zero),the consecutive action execution flag indicating execution ofconsecutive actions are set to be turned off (i.e., the malicious playexecution flag is set to “0”). Therefore, it is possible to reset themalicious first game player to the initial state.

According to the game program, firstly the first consecutive actiondetermination means 50 determines whether or not the pitcher character70 consecutively or repeatedly perform the predetermined actions at thepredetermined frequency (i.e., whether or not the pitcher character 70performs consecutive ten-times the BB/HBP actions). Then, theconsecutive action execution flag-on means 51 turns on the consecutiveaction execution flag indicating execution of consecutive actions (i.e.,the malicious play execution flag is set to be “1”) when the pitchercharacter 70 consecutively or repeatedly performs the predeterminedactions at the predetermined frequency (i.e., the pitcher character 70performs consecutive ten-times BB/HBP actions). Next, the warningdisplay means 53 displays the warning “If you perform a malicious playnext time, you will lose the game” on the first display unit 3 a of thefirst terminal device 101 used by the first game player responsible forthe malicious plays when the consecutive action execution flag is turnedon (i.e., the malicious play execution flag is set to “1”). Then, thesecond predetermined action determination means 54 determines whether ornot the pitcher character 70 performs the predetermined action (i.e.,whether or not the pitcher character 70 further consecutively orrepeatedly performs the BB/HBP action once more) by the operation of thefirst operation unit 5 a after the warning display means 53 displayedthe warning. Furthermore, the first disciplinary action execution means55 executes the first disciplinary action for the first game player(i.e., action for producing a result that the first game player's teamloses the game) when the pitcher character 70 performs the predeterminedaction (i.e., the pitcher character further consecutively or repeatedlyperforms the BB/HBP action once more) by the operation of the firstoperation unit 5 a after the warning display means 53 displayed thewarning.

In this case, the warning display means 53 displays the warning “If youperform a malicious play, you will lose the game” on the first displayunit 3 a of the first terminal device 101 used by the first game playerwhen the malicious first game player repeatedly performs the maliciousplays (consecutive BB/HBP actions). Therefore, it is possible to makethe first game player recognize that he/she performs the maliciousplays. Furthermore, when the pitcher character 70 newly performs amalicious play in accordance with the malicious intentional operation ofthe first operation unit 5 a by the first game player even though thewarning is displayed on the first display unit 3 a, the firstdisciplinary action execution means 55 executes the first disciplinaryaction (i.e., action for producing a result that the first game player'steam loses the game) for the first game player. Therefore, it ispossible to resolve a conventional condition which is unreasonable forthe second game player (i.e., the good second game player selects acommand for giving in the game to the malicious first game player due tothe malicious plays), by giving a penalty to the first game player whorepeatedly performs the malicious plays. Additionally, the maliciousfirst game player recognizes that a penalty will be given to his/hermalicious plays. Accordingly, it is possible to inhibit (counteract)further malicious plays, and it is thereby possible to realize a betternetwork match-up game. Consequently, the match-up game of the presentinvention is capable of realizing a match-up game with higher amusementthan the conventional match-up games.

Variety of Processing in Baseball Game as Example Network Game

Procedure for advancing the baseball video game of the presentembodiment and a variety of processing corresponding to the procedurewill be hereinafter explained with reference to flowcharts of FIGS. 10to 12.

First, control processing of advancing the entire game in the networkgame system will be explained with reference to FIG. 10.

A first game player starts a network game application in the firstterminal device 101, and selects a network match-up mode through theinitial screen. Accordingly, the first terminal device 101 will beconnected to the server communication unit 6 c of the server 103 throughthe first communication unit 6 a via the internet 100. In this case,each user is required to preliminarily register as a member. When theuser inputs his/her own account and password, the user is permitted toaccess the server 103 (Step S1). The account and password have beenalready registered in the member registration. Also, in the same way asthe first terminal device 101, the second terminal device 102 to be usedby a second game player will be connected to the server communicationunit 6 c of the server 103 through the second communication unit 6 b viathe internet.

When the first and second terminal devices 101 and 102 are connected tothe server 103 via the internet 100, profile information of each gameplayer disclosed on the server 103 (i.e., a user name, user-relatedinformation, and a global IP address) will be available for reference.For example, when the first game player using the first terminal device101 wants to play the network game with the second game player using thesecond terminal device 102 after referring to the above information, thefirst game player selects the second game player through a match-upopponent configuration screen (Step S2). Then, the server 103 transmitsa connection request to the second terminal device 102 (Step S3). Thesecond terminal device 102 connected to the server 103 receives theconnection request from the first game player. The connection requestalso let the second game player know that the first game player wants toplay the network game with the second game player. Then, the secondterminal device 102 is capable of selecting one from an option ofaccepting the connection and an option of rejecting the connection. Whenthe second game player selects the option of accepting the connectionrequest from the first game player (Step S4), connection permissioninformation is transmitted from the second terminal device 102 to thefirst terminal device 101 via the server 103. Thus, the connection isestablished between the first and second terminal devices 101 and 102(Step S5).

When the first and second terminal devices 101 and 102 are connected, avariety of settings are performed on the network game application. Then,a command for starting a game (e.g., baseball video game) is selected,and accordingly the game is started (Step S6). The baseball video gamewill be terminated in any of the following conditions of the networkgame application (Step S7): when a command for ending the baseball videogame is selected; when a predetermined period of game-time is elapsed;when the first disciplinary action execution means 55 executes the firstdisciplinary action for the first game player responsible for themalicious plays (i.e., action for producing a result that the first gameplayer's team loses the game); and when the first terminal device 101 orthe second terminal device 102 is disconnected from the internet 100.

Next, warning display control processing with respect to the maliciousplays in the baseball video game of the present embodiment will beexplained with reference to flowcharts of FIGS. 11 and 12.

First, Step S11 relates to first consecutive action determinationprocessing. In Step S11, first consecutive action determinationprocessing will be executed for determining whether or not the pitchercharacter 70 consecutively or repeatedly performs the predeterminedactions at the predetermined frequency by the operation of the firstoperation unit 5 a. In Step S11, it is determined whether or not thepitcher character 70 consecutively or repeatedly performs the BB/HBPactions ten times. When it is determined that the pitcher character 70consecutively or repeatedly performs the BB/HBP actions ten times inStep S11, Step S12 will be subsequently performed.

Next, Step S12 relates to consecutive action execution flag-onprocessing. In Step S12, when the first control unit 1 a determines thatthe pitcher character 70 consecutively or repeatedly performs thepredetermined actions at the predetermined frequency in Step S11, theconsecutive action execution flag indicating execution of consecutiveactions will be turned on. In Step S12, the malicious play executionflag is set to “1” when it is determined that the pitcher character 70consecutively or repeatedly performs the BB/HBP actions ten times inStep S11. When Step S12 is executed, Step S13 will be subsequentlyexecuted.

Step S13 relates to first consecutive action execution frequency countprocessing. In Step S13, when it is determined that the pitchercharacter 70 consecutively or repeatedly performs the predeterminedactions at a predetermined frequency in Step S12, the consecutive actionexecution frequency indicating frequency of execution of consecutiveactions will be counted. The consecutive action execution frequencycorresponds to frequency of execution of consecutive action counted inStep S12. In Step S13, the consecutive action execution frequencycounted is counted as once when execution of the consecutivepredetermined-times are determined in Step S12. When Step S13 isexecuted, Step S14 will be subsequently executed.

Step S14 relates to warning display processing. In Step S14, when theconsecutive action execution flag is turned on in Step S12 and theconsecutive action execution frequency counted in Step S13 is equal toor greater than a predetermined frequency, the warning “If you perform amalicious play next time, you will lose the game” is displayed on thefirst display unit 3 a before the start of the next match-up game forpreliminarily warning that the game player may lose the baseball matchif the game player does not follow it. When Step S14 is executed, StepS15 will be subsequently executed.

Step S15 relates to second predetermined action determinationprocessing. In Step S15, the first control unit 1 a determines whetheror not the pitcher character 70 performs the predetermined action by theoperation of the first operation unit 5 a after the warning is displayedin Step S14. In Step S15, it is determined that the pitcher character 70further consecutively or repeatedly performs the BB/HBP action oncemore. When it is determined that the pitcher character 70 consecutivelyor repeatedly performs the BB/HBP action once more in Step S15, Step S16will be subsequently executed.

Step S16 relates to first disciplinary action execution processing. InStep S16, when the first control unit 1 a determines that the pitchercharacter 70 performs the predetermined actions in Step S15, the firstdisciplinary action will be executed for the first game player. In StepS16, when it is determined that the pitcher character 70 furtherconsecutively or repeatedly performs the BB/HBP action once more in StepS15, the first disciplinary action will be executed for the first gameplayer for resulting for the first game player's team in loosing thegame. When Step S16 is executed, Step S17 will be subsequently executed.

Step S17 relates to second consecutive action execution frequencycounting processing (see FIG. 12). In Step S17, when it is determinedthat the pitcher character 70 consecutively or repeatedly performs thepredetermined actions at the predetermined frequency in Step S15, theconsecutive action execution frequency indicating frequency of executionof consecutive actions is counted as six times. When Step S17 isexecuted, Step S18 will be subsequently executed.

Step S18 relates to warning display processing. In Step S18, the warning“If you perform a malicious play next time, your account will besuspended” is displayed on the first display unit 3 a. When Step S18 isexecuted, Step S19 will be subsequently executed.

In Step S19, it is determined whether or not the consecutive actionexecution frequency counted in Step S17 is equal to or greater than thepredetermined frequency. When it is determined that the consecutiveaction execution frequency counted in Step S17 is equal to or greaterthan the predetermined frequency (i.e., consecutive six-time maliciousplays) of Step S19, Step S20 will be subsequently executed.

Step S20 relates to second disciplinary action execution processing. InStep S20, a second disciplinary action is executed for the first gameplayer when the consecutive action execution frequency counted in StepS17 is equal to or greater than the predetermined frequency. In StepS20, the second disciplinary action for the first game player (i.e.,action for suspending the player's account, that is, authenticationinformation necessary for playing the network game) is set to be morestrict than the first disciplinary action for the first game player(action for resulting for the first game player's team in loosing thegame) when the consecutive action execution frequency counted in StepS17 is equal to or greater than the predetermined frequency (i.e., amalicious play is executed six times or more). In Step S20, the seconddisciplinary action, that is, the action for suspending the player'saccount, is executed for the first game player when the consecutiveaction execution frequency counted in Step S17 is equal to or greaterthan six times. Note that the first game player is not allowed to playthe network game for a predetermined period of time (e.g., a month) ifthe first game player's account is suspended. However, when the firstgame player's account becomes available after a predetermined period oftime (e.g., a month) and the first game player is allowed to participatein the network game again, Step S21 will be executed.

Step S21 relates to warning display processing. In Step S21, the warning“If you perform a malicious play next time, your account will bedeleted” will be displayed on the first display unit 3 a. When Step S21is executed, Step S22 will be subsequently executed.

Step S22 relates to third consecutive action determination processing.In Step S22, it is determined whether or not the pitcher character 70consecutively or repeatedly performs the predetermined actions at thepredetermined frequency (i.e., whether or not the pitcher character 70further consecutively or repeatedly performs the BB/HBP action oncemore) after the second disciplinary action (i.e., the action forsuspending the game player's account) is executed for the first gameplayer. In Step S22, when it is determined that the pitcher character 70consecutively or repeatedly performs the predetermined actions at thepredetermined frequency (i.e., the pitcher character 70 furtherconsecutively or repeatedly performs the BB/HBP action once more), StepS23 will be executed. On the other hand, when it is determined that thepitcher character 70 does not consecutively or repeatedly perform thepredetermined actions at the predetermined frequency until the end ofthe baseball match (i.e., the pitcher character 70 does notconsecutively or repeatedly perform the BB/HBP action once more untilthe end of the baseball match), Step S24 will be executed.

Step S23 relates to third disciplinary action execution processing. InStep S23, a third disciplinary action will be executed for the firstgame player when the first control unit 1 a determines that the pitchercharacter 70 consecutively or repeatedly performs the predeterminedactions at the predetermined frequency (i.e., the pitcher character 70further consecutively or repeatedly performs the BB/HBP action oncemore) in Step S22. In Step S23, the third disciplinary action (i.e., theaction for deleting the game player's account) is executed for the firstgame player when the pitcher character 70 consecutively or repeatedlyperforms the predetermined actions at the predetermined frequency (i.e.,the pitcher character 70 further consecutively or repeatedly performsthe BB/HBP action once more) in Step S22 after execution of Step S20.

Step S24 relates to third consecutive action execution frequency countprocessing. In Step S24, the consecutive action execution frequencyindicating frequency of execution of previous consecutive actions iscounted when it is determined that the pitcher character 70 does notconsecutively or repeatedly perform the predetermined actions at thepredetermined frequency in Step S22. When Step S24 is executed, Step S25will be subsequently executed.

Step S25 relates to consecutive action execution frequency reductionexecution processing. In Step S25, the previous consecutive actionexecution frequency in Step S24 will be reduced by a predetermined valuewhen the first control unit 1 a determines that the pitcher character 70does not consecutively or repeatedly perform the predetermined actionsat the predetermined frequency in Step S22. In this case, the followingcase is assumed. The second disciplinary action (i.e., the action forsuspending the game player's account) is executed in Step S20, and thenthe suspended account becomes available. Thus, the suspended game playeris allowed to participate in the network game. When it is determinedthat the first malicious player does not perform the malicious plays(i.e., the pitcher character 70 performs consecutive ten-times BB/HBPactions) until the end of the baseball match in Step S22 because thefirst player repents his/her deed, the consecutive action executionfrequency (e.g., six times) counted in Step S24 (i.e., frequency ofexecution of the previous malicious plays) is reduced by thepredetermined value (e.g., once) in Step S25. When Step S25 is executed,Step S26 will be subsequently executed.

Step S26 relates to warning display negation execution processing. InStep S26, the warning display means 53 will be negated after theconsecutive action execution frequency is reduced by the predeterminedvalue in Step S25. In this case, when a game player is in a process ofchanging from a malicious player to a good player, the warning displaymeans 53 does not display any warning. When Step S26 is executed, StepS27 will be subsequently executed.

In Step S27, the first control unit 1 a determines whether or not theconsecutive action execution frequency reaches a predetermined frequencyin Step S25. In Step S27, it is determined whether or not theconsecutive action execution frequency reaches the predeterminedfrequency (e.g., zero). When it is determined that the consecutiveaction execution frequency reaches a predetermined frequency (e.g.,zero) in Step S27, Step S28 will be executed.

Step S28 relates to consecutive action execution flag-off processing. InStep S28, a consecutive action execution flag indicating execution ofconsecutive actions is turned off when the first control unit 1 adetermines that the consecutive action execution frequency reaches apredetermined frequency in Step S25. In this case, when the consecutiveaction execution frequency reaches a predetermined frequency (e.g.,zero), the consecutive action execution flag indicating execution ofconsecutive actions is set to be an off-state (i.e., the malicious playexecution flag is set to be “0”). Accordingly, it is possible to resetthe malicious first player. In other words, it is possible to reset themalicious first player to the initial state.

According to the above-mentioned network game system, it is determinedwhether or not the pitcher character 70 consecutively or repeatedlyperforms the predetermined actions at the predetermined frequency (i.e.,whether or not the pitcher character 70 performs consecutive ten-timesthe BB/HBP actions) in the first consecutive action determinationprocessing of Step S11. Then, in the consecutive action executionflag-on processing of Step S12, the consecutive action execution flagindicating execution of consecutive actions is set to be an on-state(i.e., the malicious play execution flag is set to “1”) when the pitchercharacter 70 consecutively or repeatedly performs the predeterminedactions at the predetermined frequency (i.e., the pitcher character 70performs consecutive ten-times the BB/HBP actions). Next, in the warningdisplay processing of Step S14, the warning “If you perform a maliciousplay, you will lose the game” is displayed on the first display unit 3 aof the first terminal device 101 used by the first game playerresponsible for the malicious plays when the consecutive actionexecution flag is set to be an on-state (i.e., the malicious playexecution flag is set to “1”). Then, in the second predetermined actiondetermination processing of Step S15, it is determined whether or notthe pitcher character 70 performs the predetermined action (whether ornot the pitcher character 70 further consecutively or repeatedlyperforms the BB/HBP action once more) by the operation of the firstoperation unit 5 a after the warning is displayed in the warning displayprocessing of Step S14. Furthermore, in the first disciplinary actionexecution processing of Step S16, the first disciplinary action (i.e.,the action for resulting the first game player's team in loosing thegame) is executed for the first game player when the pitcher character70 performs the predetermined action (i.e., when the pitcher character70 further consecutively or repeatedly performs the BB/HBP action oncemore) by the operation of the first operation unit 5 a after the warningis displayed in the warning display processing of Step S14.

In this case, when the malicious first game player repeatedly performsthe malicious plays (i.e., consecutive BB/HBP actions), the warning “Ifyou perform a malicious play next time, you will lose the game” isdisplayed on the first display unit 3 a of the first terminal device 101used by the first game player in the warning display processing of StepS14. Therefore, it is possible to make the first player recognize thathe/she performs the malicious plays. Furthermore, when the pitchercharacter 70 newly performs the malicious plays by the maliciousintentional operation of the first operation unit 5 a by the first gameplayer even though the warning is displayed on the first display unit 3a, the first disciplinary action (i.e., the action for producing aresult that the first game player's team loses the game) will beexecuted for the first player. Accordingly, it is possible to resolve aconventional unreasonable condition in which the good second game playeris forced to select a command for giving in to the first game player'smalicious plays, by giving the malicious first game player a penalty.Additionally, the malicious first game player recognizes that thepenalty will be given to him/her when performing the malicious plays.And it is thereby possible to inhibit (counteract) a further maliciousplay. Consequently, it is possible to realize a healthier networkmatch-up game, and it is possible to realize a match-up game with higheramusement compared to the conventional match-up game.

OTHER EXAMPLE EMBODIMENT Example (a)

In the above-mentioned embodiment, a personal computer is used as anexample of a computer that the game program is allowed to be applied.However, the game device is not limited to the above-mentionedembodiment. The game device may be applied to any type of terminaldevices such as a home video game consol, a mobile phone, and a PDA(personal digital assistance) as long as it is capable of executing thenetwork game.

Example (b)

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the HDD and the CD-ROM are examplesof the recording medium. However, the recording medium may be acomputer-readable flexible disk, a semiconductor memory, a DVD, a UMD, aROM cassette, and cartridge for a home video game console. Also, meansfor providing a program for executing the game is not limited to theabove-mentioned recording medium. For example, when a variety ofprograms (e.g., a game progress program) are allowed to be downloadedfrom a web site of a company controlling a network game through theinternet 100, they may be directly downloaded from the website and maybe executed.

Example (c)

In the above-mentioned embodiment, a baseball video game is an exampleof the network game. Additionally, the baseball video game allowspreliminarily registered members to play the match-up game. However, thenetwork game is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. Thenetwork game may be applied to a variety of games as long as pluralitiesof game players play the match-up game in the network game. For example,the network game may be applied to other sports games (e.g., a soccergame and a martial arts game), a simulation game, a shooting game, a RPG(roll playing game), and the like, as well.

GENERAL INTERPRETATION

A used herein, the following directional terms “forward, rearward,above, downward, vertical, horizontal, below and transverse” as well asany other similar directional terms refer to those directions of adevice equipped with the present invention. Accordingly, these terms, asutilized to describe aspects of the present invention, should beinterpreted relative to a device equipped with the present invention.

The term “configured” as used herein to describe a component, section orpart of a device includes hardware and/or software that is constructedand/or programmed to carry out the desired function.

Terms that are expressed as “means-plus function” in the claims shouldinclude any structure that can be utilized to carry out the function ofthat part of the present invention.

The term “comprising” and its derivatives, as used herein, are intendedto be open ended terms that specify the presence of the stated features,elements, components, groups, integers, and/or steps, but do not excludethe presence of other unstated features, elements, components, groups,integers and/or steps. The foregoing also applied to words havingsimilar meanings such as the terms, “including,” “having,” and theirderivatives. Also, the term “part,” “section,” “portion,” “member,” or“element” when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of asingle part or a plurality of parts.

The terms of degree such as “substantially”, “about” and “approximately”as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modifiedterm such that the end result is not significantly changed. While onlyselected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the presentinvention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from thisdisclosure that various changes and modifications can be made hereinwithout departing from the scope of the invention as defined in theappended claims. Furthermore, the foregoing descriptions of theembodiments according to the present invention are provided forillustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents. Thus, the scope ofthe invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.

1. A computer readable medium storing a computer program for a match-upgame between a first game player and a second game player though anetwork, where the first game player operates a first game character inthe match-up game through a first terminal device and the second gameplayer operates a second game character in the match-up game through asecond terminal device, the computer program comprising: code fordetermining whether or not the first game character repeatedly performsa predetermined action at a predetermined frequency; code for turning ona consecutive action execution flag when it is determined that the firstgame character repeatedly performs the predetermined action at thepredetermined frequency; code for displaying a warning for the firstgame player, when the consecutive action execution flag is turned on;code for determining whether or not the first game character repeatedlyperform the predetermined action at the predetermined frequency afterthe warning is displayed; and code for executing a first disciplinaryaction for the first game player when it is determined that the firstgame character repeatedly performs the predetermined action at thepredetermined frequency after the warning is displayed.
 2. The computerreadable medium according to claim 1, the computer program furthercomprising code for counting how many times the first game characterrepeatedly performs the predetermined action at the predeterminedfrequency, wherein the warning is displayed, when the number of timesthat the first game character performs the predetermined action at thepredetermined frequency is equal to or greater than a firstpredetermined number.
 3. The computer readable medium according to claim2, the computer program further comprising code for executing a seconddisciplinary action for the first game player, when the number of timesthat the first game character repeatedly performs the predeterminedaction at the predetermined frequency is equal to or greater than asecond predetermined number which is larger than the first predeterminednumber.
 4. The computer readable medium according to claim 3, thecomputer program further comprising code for executing a thirddisciplinary action for the first game player, when the number of timesthat the first game character repeatedly performs the predeterminedaction at the predetermined frequency is equal to or greater than athird predetermined number which is larger than the second predeterminednumber.
 5. The computer readable medium according to claim 3, thecomputer program further comprising code for reducing the number oftimes, when the first game character stops repeatedly performing thepredetermined action at the predetermined frequency.
 6. The computerreadable medium according to claim 5, further comprising code forincreasing the number of times, when the first game character keepsrepeatedly performing the predetermined action at the predeterminedfrequency, wherein the rate of reducing the number of times is smallerthan the rate of increasing the number of times, if the first gamecharacter keeps repeatedly performing the predetermined action at thepredetermined frequency.
 7. The computer readable medium according toclaim 5, the computer program further comprising code for negating thewarning display function after the number of times is reduced.
 8. Thecomputer readable medium according to claim 5, the computer programfurther comprising code for turning off the consecutive action executionflag when the number of times is equal to or less than a fourthpredetermined frequency as a result of the reducing.
 9. A game devicefor a match-up game between a first game player and a second game playertrough a network, where the first game player operates a first gamecharacter in the match-up game through a first game unit of a firstterminal device and the second game player operates a second gamecharacter in the match-up game through a second game unit of a secondterminal device, the game device comprising: first consecutive actiondetermination means for determining whether or not the first gamecharacter repeatedly performs a predetermined action at a predeterminedfrequency; consecutive action execution flag-on means for turning on aconsecutive action execution flag when it is determined that the firstgame character repeatedly performs the predetermined action at thepredetermined frequency; warning display means for displaying a warningwhen the consecutive action execution flag is turned on; secondpredetermined action determination means for determining whether or notthe first game character repeatedly performs the predetermined actionafter the warning is displayed; and first disciplinary execution meansfor executing a first disciplinary action for the first game player whenit is determined that the first game character repeatedly performs thepredetermined action after the warning is displayed.
 10. A game controlmethod for controlling a match-up game, match-up game between a firstgame player and a second game player though a network, where the firstgame player operates a first game character in the match-up game througha first terminal device and the second game player operates a secondgame character in the match-up game through a second terminal device,the game control method comprising: determining whether or not the firstgame character repeatedly performs a predetermined action at apredetermined frequency; turning on a consecutive action execution flagwhen it is determined that the first game character repeatedly performsthe predetermined action at the predetermined frequency; displaying awarning for the first game player, when the consecutive action executionflag is turned on; determining whether or not the first game characterrepeatedly performs the predetermined action after the warning isdisplayed; and executing a first disciplinary action for the first gameplayer when it is determined that the first game character repeatedlyperforms the predetermined action after the warning is displayed.
 11. Agame system for causing a first control unit of a first terminal deviceand a second control unit of a second terminal device to execute amatch-up game in a first computer provided in the first terminal deviceand a second computer provided in the second terminal device, the firstterminal device and the second terminal device being capable ofexecuting the match-up game through a network communication, the firstterminal device being used by a first game player, the second terminaldevice being used by a second game player, the match-up game causing thefirst control unit and the second control unit to make a first gamecharacter displayed on a first display unit of the first terminal deviceand a second display unit of the second terminal device to perform anaction in accordance with an operation of a first operation unit of thefirst terminal device, the match-up game causing the first control unitand the second control unit to make a second game character displayed onthe first display unit and the second display unit to perform an actionin accordance with an operation of a second operation unit of the secondterminal device, the game system including: a first consecutive actiondetermination function for causing the first control unit and the secondcontrol unit to determine whether or not the first game character or thesecond game character repeatedly performs a predetermined action at apredetermined frequency in accordance with an operation of the firstoperation unit or the second operation unit; a consecutive actionexecution flag-on function for turning on a consecutive action executionflag when the first control unit and the second control unit in thefirst consecutive action determination function determine that the firstgame character or the second game character repeatedly performs thepredetermined action at the predetermined frequency; a warning displayfunction for causing the first display unit or the second display unitto display a warning when the consecutive action execution flag isturned on; a second predetermined action determination function forcausing the first control unit and the second control unit to determinewhether or not the first game character or the second game characterrepeatedly performs the predetermined action in accordance with anoperation of the first operation unit or the second operation unit afterthe display unit displays the warning; and a first disciplinaryexecution function for executing a first disciplinary action for thefirst game player or the second game player when the first control unitand the second control unit determine that the first game character orthe second game character repeatedly performs the predetermined action.